LIBRARY POSTER OF THE MONTH

 WPA Library Project

China Invading Taiwan? Get in Line Behind the Tourists -- Guest Post by Ed Lin

I started to get messages three days into our Taipei trip. 

They were along the lines of "Are you guys all right?" 

I read them as I woke up in the dead of night, confused by jetlag and the lack of context, until I read the American news stories. With little forewarning, China had surrounded Taiwan with ships, jet fighters and bombers, and was shooting live ammo into the waters close to the main island. Many but not all international and domestic flights were cancelled. With the Taiwanese public long weary of its neighbor's menacing moves, nearly every news cable channel was running garbage on celebrities and politicians. 

For its part, China channeled Steven Seagal and called the operation "Justice Mission 2025." It's also an odd title considering that move came so late in the year, Dec. 29th. China Daily, a state organ of the People's Republic, said the operation was "to combat 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities and external interference." 

China had been fuming since November when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Chinese military force against Taiwan would threaten Japan. Takaichi's remarks seemed to imply that Japan might help defend Taiwan, a former Japanese colony, against an assault from Beijing. Also, Takaichi is a woman, which rankles the current misogynistic mentality of Chinese Communist Party. 

Then in December, Taiwan agreed to its largest-ever arms package purchase—$11 billion—from the United States. The sale "exposes Washington's reckless disregard for the one-China principle and the political foundations of China-U.S. relations," China Daily noted on Dec. 19. Ten days later, "Justice Mission 2025, " without Seagal, was a go. 

We had landed in Taiwan on Dec. 26, after a 20-hour flight with a layover in Seattle, so before the emails I wasn't aware that China's war games were playing out in real-time American media. I know from experience that skeleton crews, comprising of those who lacked the seniority to get time off, handle newsrooms in the week between Christmas and New Year's. It's typically a slow news week, so Chinese military moves may have gotten a lot more play than usual. The real insider report might be that the whole charade was really a temporary stimulus to address the near-20% unemployment rate among Chinese youth. 

After all, China's supposed safeguarding of Taiwan failed to stop the real invasion—of tourists! Yes, the mission did cause the delay and cancellation of incoming and in-country flights, but people from all over the world were already on the ground and on the move. 

My wife and I have been to Taiwan a number of times, but this trip was the first time we were taking our son. In the planning stages we stressed over what he needed to see, and what he needed to know. We decided that that would make for an unnecessarily harrowing trip. At least this time, we thought, let's just leisurely eat, shop, and hang out. Give the kid some good memories of one of his ancestral homelands. 

If we were wary about anything before the trip, it was due to a deadly incident about a week before we left. A mentally unstable man wearing body armor had entered Taipei's main subway station, threw smoke grenades, and began stabbing people. His rampage spilled out into the street, leaving three dead and 11 injured. On the run from police, he fell off the roof of adepartment store and died after falling to the sidewalk. Later, in front of news cameras, the killer's elderly parents apologized to the victims, knelt on the ground, and bowed. 

There have been similar attacks in Taiwan in the past, but still my wife and I knew the country was one of the safest to visit, and certainly more safe than our hometown of New York, America's shining jewel. 

During one stroll through Taipei, we went through the trendy Zhongshan shopping district, ground zero of where the tragedy unfolded, and observed the memorials set up, which stood in sharp contrast with a Disney-funded mini park set up to promote Zootopia 2 that included a giant Christmas tree, and other stations for photo ops with the animal characters from the film. 

The place was teeming with tourists, foreigners and Taiwanese alike. Taiwan may not be a majority Christian nation, but it is a big-time Christmas nation. You can't go a block in December without seeing pictures of Santa drinking boba tea. 

Filled with a certain nondenominational holiday spirit, we decided to make the trip to super-touristy Jioufen on what would be the day "Justice Mission 2025" launched. 

For the unfamiliar, here are a few things to know about Jioufen. It's about a 40-minute cab ride northeast from the center of Taipei. It's long been rumored to be the inspiration for the setting of the beloved anime Spirited Away. The film's creator Hayao Miyazaki has denied this, but the resemblance is undeniable. Jioufen is an old gold-mining town on a cliffside with a main walk of several hundred stone steps that rise at a more than 45- degree angle through the center of the quaint town. Every other building is ateahouse. At night, when red lanterns spookily light the walk, Jioufen is probably one of the most Instagrammable places in East Asia. 

Unfortunately, Jioufen's main steps can become dangerously overcrowded late in the day. 

I've transferred trains at Times Square during rush hour. I've seen Springsteen at the Garden. I've seen playoff games between the Devils and the Rangers, ones where cadres of women charge into the men's restrooms en masse because the wait at the women's restrooms had become intolerable. Yet I've never been in a group of people as packed in as when we were trying to go down the stairs at Jioufen. Half the crowd was new arrivals trying go up, and the other half were trying to catch a ride back to Taipei. People in all languages cried out in resignation. We moved down maybe three steps a minute. 

Also, for the first time in Taiwan, I was aware someone was trying to pickpocket me. I felt a hand against my backside. Not the affectionate spousal touch, but a nuanced frisking of my back pockets. I managed to turn my head and caught sight of someone with a baseball cap pulled low slipping away through the crowd, contorting like an octopus. 

A few hours later, safe at our hotel, I read the "Are you guys all right?" emails. As I processed what our friends were talking about, I became as blasé as the rest of Taiwan. 

My thinking is this. Since the major hostilities of the Chinese civil war ended in 1949 with the Nationalists decamping to Taiwan, the two sides of the strait have been in a cat-and-mouse game that has occasional flare-ups and casualties. So China sends ships and planes over the median line of the Taiwan Strait. That's all drums and gongs, anyway.

I would really be worried if the People's Republic went silent on condemning "Taiwan authorities" seeking independence, and withheld military exercises, because that perceived lull might mean China's gearing up for the real thing.

***

Ed Lin is a journalist by training and an all-around stand-up kinda guy. He’s the author of several books: Waylaid, his literary debut, and his Robert Chow crime series, set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown: This Is a Bust, Snakes Can’t Run, and One Red Bastard. Lin, who is of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards. Lin lives in New York with his wife, actress Cindy Cheun.

Ed Lin’s big-hearted, eye-opening fifth installment in the fan-favorite Taipei Night Market series, The Dead Can't Make a Living, will be out this month. Jing-nan, the owner of the most popular food stand in Taipei’s world-famous Shilin night market, is hauling trash after a successful evening of hawking Taiwanese delicacies to tourists when he finds a corpse propped up against the dumpsters. The dead man turns out to be Juan Ramos, a Philippine national who came to Taiwan for a job at a massive ZHD food processing plant.

EASTER CRIME FICTION/ EASTER MYSTERIES

Just in time for Easter, here's my updated Easter Crime Fiction list. As always, I welcome any additions. I've also added some Good Friday mysteries, rounding out the weekend.

EASTER CRIME FICTION/
EASTER MYSTERIES

The Easter Evader by Mathiya Adams

Death by Flamenco by Jennifer S. Alderson

Antiques Bizarre by Barbara Allan
Ship of Danger by Mabel Esther Allan
Aunt Dimity: Detective by Nancy Atherton
Bunny Donuts and a Body by Cindy Bell
Show Me the Bunny by Laurien Berenson

Death and the Easter Bunny by Linda Berry
In a Gilded Cage by Rhys Bowen
Easter Weekend by David Bottoms
The Last Enemy by Grace Brophy

The Faberge Easter Egg by Sharon E. Buck

Wycliffe and the Last Rites by W.J. Burley
The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha by JoAnna Carl
Papa la-Bas by John Dickson Carr
Do You Promise Not To Tell? by Mary Jane Clark
Easter Hair Hunt by Nancy J. Cohen
Easter Buried Eggs by Lyndsey Cole
Little Easter by Reed Farrel Coleman
A Holiday Sampler by Christine E. Collier
Last Easter by Caroline Conklin
Absolute Certainty by Rose Connors
Murder on Good Friday by Sara Conway
Holy Terrors by Mary R. Daheim
Big Bunny Bump Off, Easter Escapade, Hippity Hoppity Homicide by Kathi Daley
Death of a Harlequin by Mary-Jane Deeb

KittyKai's Easter Mystery by Debbie De Louise
The House of Death by Paul Doherty
Cue the Easter Bunny by Liz Evans
Root of All Evil by E.X. Ferrars

Death at the Wheel by Kate Flora
The Chocolate Kiss by Laura Florand

Lord James Harrington and the Easter Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz
Toxic Toffee; Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower
Eula May and the Easter Kandy Killer by Amy Mull Fremgen

Lord James Harrington and the Easter Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz
Deadly Sin by P.J. Grady
Hop 'Til You Drop by J. M. Griffin

Precious Blood by Jane Haddam
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
The Good Friday Murder by Lee Harris 
Server Down by J.M. Hayes
Semana Santa by David Hewson
Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

Killer Easter Pie by Carolyn Q. Hunter
Easter Murders by Bryant Jackson & Edward Meadows
Death of a Dumb Bunny by Melanie Jackson
Easter Eggs and Shotgun Shells by Madison Johns
On the Lamb by Tina Kashian

Murder on the Eightfold Path by Diana Killian
Beauty Expos are Murder by Libby Klein

Bunny Drop by Linda Kozar
Chef Maurice and the Bunny-Boiler Bake Off by J.A. Lang
Forest of Souls by J. G. Lewis

Do Not Exceed the Stated Dose (short stories) by Peter Lovesey
Dyeing Season: Basket Case by Karen MacInerney
Shot Cross Buns by Tegan Maher
Pagan Spring by G. M. Malliet
Some Like It Lethal by Nancy Martin
Alibis & Angels by Olivia Matthews
Easter Bunny Murder; Easter Bonnet Murder by Leslie Meier
The Chocolate Easter Baking Challenge by M'Lissa Moorecroft

Devil's Door by Sharan Newman
The Easter Mystery by Joan Lowery Nixon
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

The Easter Sunday Slaughter by Imogen Plimp
The Wolf and the Lamb by Frederick Ramsey
Chicory is Trickery by Sheri Richey

The Chocolate Egg Murders by David W. Robinson

The Baritone Wore Chiffon; The Soprano Wore Falsettos by Mark Schweizer
Easter's Lily by Judy Serrano
Prey on Patmos by Jeffrey Siger
Tourist Trap by Julie Smith

Wicked Egg to Crack by Lotta Smith
Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming
And Four To Go includes "The Easter Parade" aka The Easter Parade Murder" by Rex Stout
Easter Breakfast by John Stuart

Nickeled-and-Dimed to Death by Denise Swanson
The Quarry by Johan Theorin
Midnight at the Camposanto by Mari Ulmer
The Lord is My Shepherd by Debbie Viguie
Of Crocuses and Confessions; On Borrowed Time; Baa'd to the Bone by Sarah Jane Weldon

The Blind Man of Seville by Robert Wilson
Easter Egg Murder by Patricia Smith Wood
Easter Egg Hunt Murder by Rachel Woods

Short Stories: 

"The Man on the Cross" by Bill Crider from the collection Thou Shalt Not Kill, edited by Anne Perry.
"The Rabbit Died" by Sue Ann Jaffarian.

Looking for Easter Chocolate to eat while reading? Stop by my other Blog, DyingforChocolate.com for some great Chocolate Easter Recipes and the History and Culture of the Chocolate Easter Bunny.

Look Magazine, April 16, 1957

DERRINGER AWARD FINALISTS: Short Mystery Fiction Society

The Short Mystery Fiction Society is a group of writers, readers, editors, publishers, and others dedicated to the promotion and celebration of mystery and crime short stories. Since 1998, the SMFS has awarded the annual Derringers to outstanding published stories and people who've greatly advanced or supported the form. Congratulations to all!

The 2026 Derringer Award Finalists:

Best Flash Story

(Up to 1,000 words)

"Bradycardia" by Elizabeth Dearborn (Punk Noir Magazine, 2/4/2025)

"Check Rear Seat" by Carl Tait (Exquisite Death, 5/1/2025)

"It All Comes Out in the Wash" by James Patrick Focarile (Gumshoe Review, 10/31/2025)

"Just Like Old Times" by Shari Held (Yellow Mama, 2/15/2025)

"The Man Under the Bridge" by Bern Sy Moss (Spillwords, 6/1/2025)

Best Short Story

(1,001 to 4,000 words)

"Blind Pig" by Michael Bracken (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2025)

"Chains" by Frank Vatel (All Due Respect, 9/1/25)

"Hollywood Prometheus" by Christa Faust (Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, Bywater Books)

"The Artist" by Linda Ann Bennett (Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, Superior Shores Press)

"Wax On, Wax Off" by Nina Mansfield (Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, Wildside Press)

Best Long Story

(4,001 to 8,000 words)

"A Sign of the Times" by Tom Milani (Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, Down & Out Books)

"Masterpiece" by Mark Thielman (Black Cat Mystery Magazine 16, September 2025)

"Six-Armed Robbery" by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, Wildside Press)

"Whatever Kills the Pain" by C.W. Blackwell (Whatever Kills the Pain, Rock and a Hard Place Press)

"Zebra Finch" by donalee Moulton (The Most Dangerous Games, Level Best Books - Level Short)

Best Novelette

(8,001 to 20,000 words)

"Aswarby Hall" by David Dean (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2025)

"Loose Change from a Mini Cooper" by Frank Zafiro (Chop Shop Episode 10, Down & Out Books)

"Saint Bullethead" by Nick Kolakowski (Fighting Words: Bruisers, Brawlers, & Bad Intentions, Leonardo Audio)

"The High Priest of Low Men" by C.W. Blackwell (Myopic Duplicity: Do the Ends Ever Justify the Means?, Leonardo Audio)

"The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe" by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, January 2025) (audio version)

Best Anthology

(previously announced)

Crimeucopia - The Not So Frail Detective Agency edited by John Connor (Murderous Ink Press)

Gone Fishin': Crime Takes a Holiday, The Eighth Guppy Anthology edited by James M. Jackson (Wolf's Echo Press)

Hollywood Kills: An Anthology edited by Adam Meyer & Alan Orloff (Level Best Books - Level Short)

Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspenseedited by Judy Penz Sheluk (Superior Shores Press)

On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito (Rock and a Hard Place Press)

SoWest: Danger Awaits! A Desert Sleuths Anthology edited by Claire A. Murray, Eva Eldridge, Suzanne E. Flaig, Denise Galley, and Sarah Smith (DS Publishing)

APRIL FOOL'S DAY CRIME FICTION

April Fool's Day Mysteries: I love any chance to celebrate a 'holiday,' so even April Fool's Day fits the bill! Here's a short list full of foolish and not so foolish crime fiction that takes place on and around April Fool's Day! No joke! As always, let me know if I've forgotten a title!

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools' Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent
On purpose for pure merriment.

--Poor Robin's Almanac, 1790 
 
APRIL FOOL'S DAY CRIME FICTION

The Marsh Madness by Victoria Abbott
Maple Fools' Day by Virginia K. Bennett

The Case of the April Fools by Christopher Bush
April's Fool by Edna May Ciesclwicz 
A Body on April Fool's Day by Steve Demaree

April Fool by William Deverell 
The April Fool by Robert J. Fields
April Fool's Day by John Greenwood
April Fools’ Day Murder by Lee Harris
April Fool Dead by Carolyn Hart 
A Remarkable Case of Burglary by H. R. F. Keating
April Fools by Jess Loury
The Confidence Man by Herman Melville
April Fool’s Day A Novel by Josip Novakovich (not quite a mystery but with mystery elements)
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
April Fool's Day by Jeff Rovin

Short Stories:
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 3: The April Fool’s Day Adventure and The Strange Adventure of the Uneasy Easy Chair by Anthony Boucher and Denis Green.

Children's:  
April Fool's Day by Carolyn Keene (Book #19 of Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew)

Meg Mackintosh and The April Fools' Day Mystery by Lucinda Landon

The April Fools Day Mystery by Marion M. Markham,  illustrated by Pau Estrada

April Fools' Fiasco by Ron Roy

PASSOVER MYSTERIES //PASSOVER CRIME FICTION

Passover starts the evening of April 1 and lasts for eight days. That should give you plenty of time to read these mysteries set during this holiday. This is an updated list, but, as always, let me know any missing titles/authors. Hag Sameach!

Passover Crime Fiction

Passover by Aphrodite Anagnost
Conspirators by Michael Andre Bernstein

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks   
The Passover Commando by Irving R. Cohen

The Passover Protocols by Ellen Frankel

The Passover Murder by Lee Harris 
All Other Nights by Dara Horn
Never Nosh a Matzo Ball by Sharon Kahn
Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home by Harry Kemelman 
The Fixer by Bernard Malamud

The Empty Hours by Ed McBain
The Wolf and the Lamb by Frederick Ramsay
The Samaritans' Secret by Matt Beynon Rees
Mrs Kaplan and the Matzo Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger
Unleavened Dead by Ilene Schneider
The Passover Plot by Hugh J. Schonfield 
The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra

Poisoned Passover: Book 2 Torah Mystery Series by Susan Van Dusen

The Lord is My Shepherd by Debbie Viguie (on my Easter list, too!)
The Big Nap by Ayelet Waldman 

Passover by Frances Williams
The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia

Passover by Jeff Yocum

Passover Short Stories in the following collections:

Dying for Chametz & Other Mystery Stories for Passover by Libby Astaire

Criminal Kabbalah, edited by Laurie R. King
Murder Is No Mitzvah, edited by Abigail Browning
Mystery Midrash, edited by Rabbi Lawrence Raphael

Jewish Noir, edited by Kenneth Wishnia.

***

"Catching Elijah" by Jeri Westerson

"Who Stole the Afikomen?" by Elizabeth Zelvin, in EQMM March/April 2021.

There are several Children's and YA Passover Mysteries including:

Sherlock Mendelson and the Missing Afikomen by David Shawn Klein, Illustrated by Bridge Starr Taylor
Jodie's Passover Adventure by Anna Levine

Shira Detective: Chametz Detective by Galia Sabbag, Illustrated by Erin Taylor

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Check out Molly Odintz's 10 Reasons Why Passover is the Noirest Holiday on CrimeReads.

Celebrating the holiday? Check out DyingforChocolate.com for Chocolate Passover Recipes.